Beyond Forever
by bassment
Summary: Rin and Sesshoumaru are separated in time. Can they find each other and reunite? Might change ratings later depending on content
1. Chapter 1

A/N: My first attempt at fanfiction. Hope you guys enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters. They belong to Rumiko Takahashi.

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Rin leaned her head against the cool window pane and closed her eyes. As the bus moved swiftly in the night, Rin gradually found herself sinking into sleep. The events that happened 5 years ago played back vividly in her dream...

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'Rin! Stop fooling around and get ready to leave!' shouted Jaken.

Muttering exasperatedly under his breath, Jaken puzzled over why Sesshoumaru-sama had yet to get rid of her. He looked up to see Sesshoumaru's cold eyes on him. Squeaking, Jaken tried to explain himself, 'Sess...Sesshoumaru-sama...' and giving up, the little green goblin hurried about the makeshift campsite and packed their few belongings.

Rin had been gathering flowers when she heard Jaken calling for her. Standing up, she brushed away the blades of grass stuck on her kimono. Suddenly, she could hear a soft mewling coming from further inside the forest. She glanced in the direction of where she should be heading and looked in the direction of the cry, all the while worrying her bottom lip with her teeth as she tried to decide what to do. The cries rose a little in volume but finally weakened to sorrowful mews. Rin threw down the flowers she gathered and ran towards the cries.

She came into a small clearing in the forest and looked around. 'Nyaa! Nyaa!'

It was coming from inside the well! Rin peered into the dark depths and crooned softly to the creature. ' Don't worry, I'm coming for you!' Her heart ached for the creature probably hurt and stuck alone in the darkness. Rin never questioned why she had to go to the aid of these injured creatures, but always try to help them to the best of her abilities.

Gingerly, she climbed over the edge of the well and slowly made her way down. Rin tried not to panic in the swallowing darkness and focussed on getting a firm hold of the rocks on the wall of the well. The gleam of light provided by the opening of the well became dimmer as she climbed further down into the well. After a while, Rin started to pant from the exertions and sweat was running into her eyes. Her arms quivering in exhaustion, Rin tried to wipe the sweat from her brow, only to lose her grip on the rocks.

'Sesshoumaru-sama!' Rin screamed as she fell backwards into the deep dark well.

Then all was no more.

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' Sesshou....!' Rin awakened with his name on her lips. She sighed and wondered if Sesshoumaru-sama was ever going to come and get her.

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Back then...

Sesshoumaru looked absently into the distant mountains.

'What is taking Rin so long?' He wondered. Discretely he sniffed the air for Rin's scent, to check if she had hurt herself. No, her scent was faint but remained the same, a hint of flora and the essence that was distinctly Rin's.

Sighing, he signaled Jaken closer. 'Go look for Rin now and get her back...'

Suddenly alert, Sesshoumaru's eyes flashed as he realised that he could no longer detect her scent! In a flash, he strode to where her scent had lingered and traced her steps. His heart was beating wildly though his expression remained unchanged. 'What could have happened?! I'll kill anyone who dares to take her away from me...'

Jaken rushed to follow him. 'What's wrong Sesshoumaru-sama? If you're worried about Rin, that silly girl will surely find her way back eventually.'

They reached the clearing.

Following Rin's scent, Sesshoumaru peered into the dark well. Without hesitation, he leapt into the well. With his strong eyesight, he was able to see even in the almost total darkness of the well. Coldly, Sesshoumaru surveyed the well for any signs of threat. His eyes fell upon a shuddering bundle of fur. He picked it up gently and realised that it was an injured fox pup. 'This must be the reason why Rin had climbed into the well,' he thought.

Rage filled him as he regarded the weakly struggling fox which had brought Rin to harm, albeit unknowingly. He raised his arm to smash it against the rocks, but all of a sudden, an image of Rin appeared in his mind. She was in tears and her eyes begged him pleadingly. With a frustrated growl, he tucked the fox into his nakama. He promised himself he would deal with this creature later. Finding Rin is of utmost importance.

Sesshoumaru sniffed in the darkness trying to find a trace of Rin's scent. Looking at the section of the ground where her scent ended, he sent a few well placed slashes, conveniently destroying the well at the same time. No matter how deep he dug, Rin was nowhere to be found. In anguish, Sesshoumaru stifled the urge to howl in grief. He tortured himself with the awful time when he lost Rin in the depths of hell. If she died again, there would be no way to revive her.

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A/N: What do you guys think? XD


	2. Chapter 2

Tiredly, Rin unlocked the door and let herself into the quiet house. She dropped the keys on the side table and shrugged off her coat. Kicking off her stilettos, she padded barefooted to the kitchen to boil some water for tea. In the meantime, she relaxed contentedly into a comfy armchair on the balcony, and looked around the home she had made for herself. The apartment was cozy and though the furniture was mostly secondhand, they were in good condition and looked well cared for. Rin was fiercely protective of her home. She was proud of it and had been through much, for making a living by herself in modern times had not been all smooth sailing.

It had been 10 years since she left the feudal era and 3 years since she started living by her own means. It hadn't been easy, trying to adapt to living with humans and getting accustomed to modern life. Rin's mouth twitched as she recalled the first time she saw a motor vehicle. She had been living in the forested areas for almost a week before stumbling onto the highway. Having never seen tarmac roads before, she had bent down and touched it with her hands. What's this made of, Rin had wondered. Is it a special kind of road meant for demons?

Round the corner, a truck suddenly came rumbling down and Rin, caught in the headlights like a frightened deer, could only stare in fear and awe at the giant machine bearing down on her. She really had been lucky, Rin mused now. Considering how tiny she had been, had the truck driver pay just a little less attention, he would not have noticed the little bundle she was in the middle of the road. But he did. The huge truck came to a shuddering stop only a few meters away from Rin, who immediately slipped away into a dead faint due to the debilitation of having not eaten for a few days in addition to the fright she received.

Having led most of her life avoiding humans, it was safe to say that Rin was in constant shock after she woke up in the A&E of a hospital nearby. It had taken her almost 2 years before she could tolerate being around so many people. Reticent and ill-looking, there weren't any couples interested in adopting Rin. Finally she was sent to an orphanage ran by nuns. The nuns who took her in were nothing but kind to her. To Rin, they were angels on earth who had saved her life, and gave her a chance to at least live as well as she was able to.

The nuns had known that Rin was going through a difficult time and were willing to help as much as they could without interfering with her personal space. Initially, Rin couldn't stand to be touched and was on her guard 24/7, afraid to trust anyone, even the other children who soon, more often than not left her alone, threatened by her constant silence and disinterest. On the other hand, the nuns had frequently given her little pats on the head and words of praise, trying to help Rin start trusting people while at the same time, not overwhelm her.

A smile played on the corner of her lips as she thought affectionately of Sister Margaret whom she gradually grew to become very close to. Sister Margaret had a booming laugh that could drive the most sour-faced person to laughter; it was that infectious. Unlike the other nuns who had thought considerately of giving Rin time to adjust, when Sister Margaret first welcomed Rin at the gates of the orphanage, who was shivering with cold and trepidation, she had enfolded Rin gently into her warm embrace and gave her a light squeeze though Rin had almost repelled in fear at first touch.

Rin's eyes pickled as she recalled the feeling of the hug, the warm arms that had wrapped themselves around her so many times throughout the years. She had received her fair share of hugs from all the nuns during the years spent in the orphanage, but the one that had etched deeply in her heart was Sister Margaret's, unwelcomed at first, yet still filled with so much love and sincerity for a child she had just set her eyes on that even Rin could sense the kindness with her wary heart.

The breeze started to grow chilly, stirring Rin out of her reverie. Wrapping her shawl closer around herself, she stood up and closed the doors to the balcony. All of a sudden, she could almost hear Sessho...maru (even saying his name was difficult) say, _'Rin, come over here. You're shivering.'_

Memories of him swam to the forefront of her mind even as she tried to fight them off_. _

_'Here. This is a new kimono for you. Yours is almost threadbare.' _

_'If you're cold, just say so. Don't keep things from me.' _

_'Rin. Take my arm.' _

_'Rin.' _

_'Rin...'_

Rin doubled over in pain. She squeezed her eyes shut, but the tears still leaked out. So many years had passed, yet the memories remained as fresh in her mind as if they had just taken place the day before. Then again, there existed too, many things which remind her of him. Small things only, really, but extremely potent. Take for example what just happened. Merely a breeze, however, it had the power to bring her to her knees.

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A/N: Edited on 11/02


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